Bommer Canyon

Charles Beal, Senior Land Surveyor for the County of Orange, sent me the photos of Bommer Canyon Cattle Camp that appear in today's post. Bommer Canyon was the Irvine Ranch's cattle headquarters for over half a century. According to historian Phil Brigandi, the name "Bommer Canyon" appeared on maps as early as the 1940s. The City of Irvine purchased Bommer Canyon from the Irvine Company in the early 1980s. They use it as a recreation area for barbecues, picnics, and other events. It is also now a
preservation area for a variety of local plants and wildlife, including numerous endangered species.

Some of the cattle camp structures still stand, helping provide the area with a sense of place.

When he sent the photos, Charles wrote,

"I was at 'Bommer Canyon Cattle Camp' and found a couple of plaques. ...The area is plotted in the Thomas Guide on page 890, D6 & E6. We were at the County’s first continuous running GPS station (24/7) located just outside of the camp that we had to service due to the recent rains. I’m not sure of the area is accessible to the public; it is currently closed due to wet ground by the recent rains. The City is putting in a new park, which is under construction that the road leads to the Bommer Canyon Cattle Ranch. The cattle [camp] can be rented out for parties."

The plaque above reads,

"José Andrés Sepulveda -- Original owner and grantee of the southern portion of Irvine Ranch known as the 'Rancho San Joaquin' was acquired in 1837. This was sold to James Irvine-Flint Bros.-Bixby & Co. in 1864. James Irvine acquired sole interest in 1876. A noted horseman, [Sepulveda] is shown here astride his famous race horse, 'Black Swan.' Dedicated to the people of Orange County by the El Viaje de Portola Riders, March 25, 1977."

The plaque below, shows "The Five Brands of Irvine" and was placed in 1967 by the Platrix Chapter ("Queen of the Cow Counties") of E Clampus Vitus.

Charles also wrote me about the project that took him to Bommer, the "first full time running GPS station."

"The County’s first Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS), known as TRAK, was set in 1994. TRAK is located in Bommer Canyon in the City of Irvine. TRAK is one of 12 CORS sites in this County that receive GPS data 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Orange County Real Time Network [of which TRAK is a part] benefits more than just the land surveyor. It also assists the scientific community by improving estimates of earthquake potential and by analyzing—in near real-time—positional elements from an earthquake."

You can see some of the TRAK equipment peeking above the brush in the photo below. For more information about Orange County’s GPS stations, visit the OC Geomatics website.